Taiwanese agricultural ambassadors tour Malaysia, Thailand

Taipei, Aug. 29 (CNA) Two groups of 12 young Taiwanese agricultural ambassadors are currently touring Malaysia and Thailand as part of the New Southbound Policy Exchange Program.

Accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the two groups left Taiwan on Monday.

According to the official website of the program, the theme of this year's exchange is "Reciprocal, Steadfast Partners for Sustainable Agriculture."

The 2024 exchange is the fifth edition of the program, which was started in 2017.

Since the program's inception, a total of 114 Taiwanese agricultural entrepreneurs have visited countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and India.

Malaysian mastery

On Wednesday, the delegation to Malaysia visited the small town of Sekinchan in the state of Selangor, which is famous for its paddy fields and fishing industry.

The group of representatives was received by Allen Lim (林卯順), a local rice farmer and mill operator, who is also a management member of the Sekinchan Tourism Development Association.

Lim told CNA that he had once studied agricultural technology in Taiwan for his rice growing and processing business.

According to Lim, he also recreated an "agricultural tourism" model that he first encountered in Taiwan, with visitors able to learn about the process of rice growing and processing.

Speaking with CNA, Taiwanese agricultural ambassador Chang Shu-ning (張書寧) said she was very grateful for the opportunity from MOA and MOFA to cultivate exchanges between Taiwanese and Malaysians.

She added that the mutual exchange of ideas offered rare learning opportunities that were also beneficial for both sides.

Chien Chin-pin (簡志斌), an ambassador from Taiwan's soy sauce industry, said he had hoped to find out whether Malaysian farmers also grow crops such as soybeans.

However, in the case of Sekinchan, Chien said the town is currently focused solely on rice growing.

Chien added that he is currently engaged in technical exchanges with Malaysian partners, hoping that he could have a hand in helping Taiwan's fermented food industry expand in the Southeast Asian country.

Thailand trips

Meanwhile, the delegation to Thailand visited the regional office of the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg), an international research and development nonprofit.

The local office introduced its charter as increasing the diversity of vegetables and promoting better nutrition to the general public while seeking to provide more job opportunities to women through vegetable science.

Chang Min-hsiang (張閔翔), a member of the Taiwanese delegation, said he learned how WorldVeg plans to improve the growth and nutritional value of vegetables in developing countries.

Chang added he was able to learn more about Thailand farmers' use of natural predators to eliminate pests, something he could potentially use in Taiwan.

Aside from WorldVeg, the delegation to Thailand also visited Talaad Thai, Southeast Asia's largest 24-hour wholesale market, to learn about market prices, deals, storage and logistics on Monday before taking trips to Kasetsart University on Tuesday.

Kasetsart University is an agricultural university in Thailand where Taiwan's ambassadors discussed topics like the Thai market for berries and the effects of climate change on Thailand's fragrant rice crops with the university's faculties and students.